Huge weekend on tap for CMU softball

If you’re looking for a doubleheader that could decide the difference between who wins the Mid-American Conference regular-season title and who doesn’t here you go.

All this and more will play out at Margo Jonker Stadium from Friday through Sunday as the Chippewas host Ball State for two games Friday before taking on Miami in single games Saturday and Sunday.

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This all-important weekend opens at 1 p.m. Friday when the Chippewas (25-14, 11-3 MAC) host Ball State (30-13, 13-1) in a doubleheader. As it stands the Cardinals are currently the top team in the MAC and lead the Chippewas by two games in the MAC West Division standings. Thus if CMU can get a sweep Friday it would tie with Ball State for the lead. Miami (17-24, 10-4) also leads the MAC East Division.

“It’s a huge weekend for us,” said CMU head softball coach Margo Jonker. “We have the No. 1 team in the conference coming here and another team that we’re nearly tied with in number of MAC losses. I’d say it’s a big weekend.”

Coming in Ball State leads the MAC in batting average (.321) while CMU is ranked second (.289).

However the Cardinals have three of the top-five hitters in the MAC, headed by 2012 MAC Player of the Year Jennifer Gilbert. For the season she’s hitting .493 with 46 runs scored and 58 RBIs. She’s also homered 19 times.

As a team Ball State has scored 290 runs, which blows the rest of MAC out of the water, and has belted 52 home runs.

Yet CMU also has the best pitching staff in the MAC (2.18 ERA) while Ball State ranks fourth (2.99).

“They have some really good hitters but so do we,” said Jonker. “The key is not plating the ball and we have to get the offense going and score runs because we know they are going to score runs.”

With Ball State and Miami both forefront and center the Chippewas could make a move in two directions this weekend.